Book of Errant Pages

For working in soft materials such as paper, softwoods, or plastic you may want to consider a scalpel instead of an X-ACTO knife.

The classic #11 X-ACTO blade has a thickness of 0.02” whereas the comparable #11 scalpel has a thickness of 0.015” making it easier to move though the material it has cut. This narrower blade also makes the scalpel a bit more flexible than the X-ACTO. My experience so far has shown the scalpel to be easier to use when making tight and detailed cuts. They also seem to last as long as my X-ACTOs in similar applications.

The attachment method for an X-ACTO normally involves using a screw to apply compression to the blade to hold it in place. If the user gets an X-ACTO stuck in a piece of material and pulls back with enough force to overcome this compression the blade will leave the handle.

 A scalpel attaches differently. It slides down a grove in the handle and snaps over the end ensuring it is not possible for the blade to come off of the handle without lifting the tab at the back.

Somewhat surprisingly scalpels can be had for cheaper than X-ACTOs. From Amazon a pack of #11 X-ACTOs with 5 blades can be bought for $4.05. The equivalent scalpel, also a #11, can be had in a 100 pack for $17. That works out to an X-ACTO costing $0.81/blade compared to a scalpel at $0.17/blade.

X-ACTO knifes have a numbering scheme similar to but not totally comparable to that used for scalpels. In both systems the blade number indicates the shape of the blade and not its size. Some blades in both systems refer to a similar profile.

The #10, #11, and #22 blades of both systems are comparably shaped. Some blade numbers do not match such as the #15 (which in X-ACTO is actually a saw) so be careful when acquiring direct replacements for your X-ACTOs.

Scalpels will come individually packaged in a sealed sterilized film. The sealed film alleviates the need for an oil film to protect the blade in storage (which is common with X-ACTOs) so there is nothing to clean off of a new scalpel before use.

If you want to give a scalpel a try go out and buy a #3 handle and some #10 (round point) or #11 (angled point) blades. There are many different profiles but most of the ones you will likely use in a crafting scenario will fit the #3 handle.